Boy Band Basics
“Exodus”, EXO's second full-length album, is hitting online music services and street record stores in South Korea and China. It was already standing out as the top-selling Korean album for the first quarter of 2015 just 2 days after its release on Monday.
Both the Chinese and Korean versions of “Exodus” rank fifth on the US iTunes World Album Charts, and topped the charts in 11 countries as well. Their music video on YouTube is currently at six million views.
On Wednesday, Billboard released an article in their K-pop column praising the new album, calling its title track “Call Me Baby” as “back to boy band basics.”
“EXO reminds fans why they fell in the love with the Korean-Chinese boy band,” the magazine said in an article on Wednesday. Jeff Benjamin complimented Korean pop songs, saying, “One of the best parts about K-pop is how reminiscent it is [of] one of the most exciting eras of pop music...”
Debuting in 2012, EXO rose to fame in South Korea and China with its first album. In 2013, its repackaged “XOXO” sold over 1 million copies, and became the best-selling Korean album in 12 years.
“With the platinum memory, we're still overwhelmed with joy and expect another achievement. We believe that if we keep communicating with our fans and working pleasantly, it is possible to set a new goal with this new album,” the boy band said at a promotional conference.
Exodus contains 10 songs in different genres, including dance, R&B, and ballad. World-renowned producers took part in the album's production including The Underdogs, Teddy Riley, Stereotypes, and Kenzie.
For the first time, SM Entertainment released multiple copies of the album featuring images of individual members to encourage fans to buy the whole collection.